MARCO SFOGLI – There’s Hope

As a backup musician there’s no denying that Italian guitarist Marco Sfogli has an impressive resume. Marco is guitarist for Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie’s solo band as well as also having recorded with the likes of such names as Simon Phillips, Greg Bissonette, Matt Bissonette, Jordan Rudess, John Macaluso, Vitalij Kuprij, Randy Coven and many more. Perhaps success breeds confidence as Marco decides to take one step forward into the spotlight by releasing There’s Hope his solo debut release.

There’s Hope is undeniably an instrumental release that showcases a mix of the influences that Marco has embraced since he took up the guitar at age 9. One of Marco’s goals on this disc was to instill the importance of remaining melodic while still playing with passion and a certain fire. Remarkably, he’s achieved all of these goals on his first solo effort while at the same time making a name for himself. When Marco knuckles down, kicks it up a notch and rocks out… there’s no arguing that he’s definitely an up and coming guitarist to watch. Marco’s phrasings and melodic compositions throughout this release should win over the hearts of fans of such Neo-Classical pioneers as Tony MacAlpine and Vinnie Moore!

There’s eleven tracks on offer here as well as a horde of guest musicians, with the most notable to Metal Express Radio fans, being drummer John Macaluso. While all tracks achieve the hard part of being entertaining only five of the eleven tracks delve into the shred/heavy fusion arena. Fans can appreciate a musician’s need for self-expression but Marco is definitely most lethal when he’s playing full throttle, like on the title track, chasing on the heals of classic Vinnie Moore.

Sfogli shows his versatility on tracks such as “Sunset Lights” which is a quasi-ballad track that is full of six-string fire as the highlight of the track is some balls grabbing guitar playing. While the musical enthusiasts can appreciate the “hoedown” feel the track, “Texas BBQ”, it won’t be the reason guitar fans buy this disc. The reason to spend hard earned euros here is for the six tracks, all on rotation at Metal Express Radio, that really should ignite the shred fanatic in all of us.

Overall, an entertaining set, which makes for a great buy for any guitar aficionado. Let’s just hope on his follow-up release Marco leaves the barn doors open and let’s the stallions loose for the entire release!

Lineup

Marco Sfogli – All Guitars, Bass, Keyboards

Guest Musicians

Salvyo Maiello, Ennio Giannone, John Macaluso, Raffaele Natale – Drums
Andrea Casali, Dino Fiorenza – Bass
Emanuele Casali, Alex Argento, Matt Guillory – Keyboards
Matt Guillory, Fabio Tommasone – Piano